World of Final Fantasy: Contrivance
by RedOmega
Summary: An unknown force has once again threaten the universe of the Realm of Fantasy. I suck at summaries so please read it if you want to. I couldn't find the category of "World of Final Fantasy". Cover Art is created by me.
1. Prologue

**Expect fourth wall breaking and different references in the story. Those who have already played the World of Final Fantasy might already know the explanation.**

 **This is not as kid-friendly as World of Final Fantasy game. It has anime-esque jokes.**

 **There are some made-up whatnot but whatever, this is Fanfiction.**

* * *

A light gentle wind traveled through the modernized city. This place is something that is completely far off from a fantasy world. Beautiful trees planted in a flower bed, a lush scenery with a clear massive pond with plants and flowers growing by the side as the sphere-like lights lit.

This place is called Nine Wood Hills, or to be more specific, the "Fake Nine Wood Hills".

Time never flows in this place, thus everything here will never wither no matter how many millions of years pass (unless through forceful means), however, night and day still flows normally, as well as the different kinds of weather and it even has the four seasons. Think of this place as similar to Neverland from Peter Pan, where day and night and the weather flow normally but the people remain the same no matter how many years pass. The most notable examples of people are the twins who slept here for more than a century, with no apparent changes in both their appearance and personality. Despite this, the clocks are ticking normally just for the purpose of knowing what period of the day is now.

Speaking of people, there are no "Actual" inhabitants in this world, meaning people who are born here. That's because this world is merely a copy of the original Nine Wood Hills, in other words, it is an artificial world created not by gods but rather two human whose powers are on par with the gods. Most of the current inhabitants are living illusions known as "Mirages", most of them being different versions of monsters, espers, eidolons, etc. They can be considered as one of the most powerful species since most are much stronger than their other versions, some mirages such as the most powerful such as the "Pleiad" look down on their esper/eidolon versions, though not all. They are also one of the very few races who can freely travel to different worlds, thus making them more knowledgeable than their counterparts.

The other current inhabitants are denizens from other worlds and dimensions, few of them even came from outside the Realm of Fantasy, our universe.

The explanation is already too long so let's just get on with it.

Everything is completely peaceful, nothing out of the ordinary...

"AAAAHHH!"

...Or so we thought.

Fire suddenly emerged from the area of Sylver Park, it was huge and powerful that not even a Firaja spell could compare its size. There was a sudden string of small explosions and the fire was suddenly extinguished by a huge wave of ice that surrounded it, causing the ice to melt at the same time.

"Take back what you just said, Frosty!" The dark-skinned woman yelled. She wears a brown sleeveless crop top that has a unique patten with two golden breastplates as well as a large metal choker and brown shorts with the same pattern as the top and it almost looks like it is part of her skin. Her ears are long and pointy that is accessorized with golden earrings. Her most noticeable features are her fire-colored hair and eyes and animalistic features, having large claws and sharp teeth, as well as having a dog-like nose. She also has a white diamond-shaped marking on her forehead. She wears a black headband attached with two long black horns that extend to the back that ends with a curve. She is a female Ifrit, a rarity of her tribe, Ifreeta.

Another figure dodged her fire attacks and retaliated by using ice magic that seemed to be more powerful than a Blizzaja. It was a young adult-looking man which makes him look like he's in his early twenties. He has blue hair and eyes with snow-white skin and pointy ears. He wears a blue high-collared coat that reaches the knee, it has an elegant crystallized pattern that reaches the end of his sleeves and center of the coat. He wears dark-blue pants and winter boots, each having a snowflake design. He also wore three belts with one large buckle. He wears white gloves with white faux fur wristbands, each having a snowflake key chain. He is a male Shiva which is very rare for a nearly all-female tribe, Shivar.

"I would if what I said wasn't the truth!" Shivar yelled back as he dodged another one of Ifreeta's attacks.

The two collided each other using opposite yet powerful magic attacks. Strangely, the area itself hasn't been damaged and no matter how many times their attacks hit the same place, the area looks very fine as if nothing happened.

"How long have they been going on like this?" Asked the boy who looks about 17-18. He has short and somewhat wavy strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a long black coat that only reach halfway down his thighs. and has a single red zipper line, as well as a gray belt. He also wore a long transparent scarf that has a clear, colorless scheme and for some reason, has a high light dispersion, thus creating rainbow reflections. He also wears gray pants and long black boots that reaches his knees. He is a human and his name is Lux.

"About 3 hours." Replied the girl who looks younger than the boy. The girl had two braids on both sides of her head, with her hair loose on the back (which is shoulder-length). She wears a black sleeveless top with a four-pointed star at the center. She also has black sleeves (not connected to her top). She also has a large golden metal bracelet on both of her wrists and gloves that make her hands look machine-like. She wears a large blue skirt with golden metal ornaments at the top and bottom of the skirt. A violet ribbon is placed at the center of her skirt along with two golden lightning-shape ornaments at both side of the ribbon. She has no feet, at the end of her legs are two metal pointy edges that look like blades. She also has two large horns (her left horn is much bigger than the other) on the sides of her head. Before and while she was imprismed by her first masters, her vocabulary was still that of a young child, speaking very few words that make up for sentences until she was taught by Lux on how to speak properly. She is the mirage Ramuh's granddaughter and his scion who inherited the Judgment Staff, Ramewl.

There was something right behind Ramewl. It was a spherical machine with four cylinder legs. It has some sort of connector that has a belt-like adapter at the end. It also has two large batteries at each side of the machine. the most distinguishing feature is that it's levitating in one place. It was a Cogna that Ramewl happened to encounter by chance, she stole its body and turned it into her electricity container. Apparently, this machine allows her to store up magical energy while sleeping and release it in controlled bursts. This also has booster capabilities that help her conserve electricity.

"What's the fight all about, anyway?", He asked again.

"Well, Ifreeta's actually the one who started it and Shivar insulted her back with something. I don't anything about what he said but Ifreeta wouldn't react like this if it wasn't the truth." Ramewl explained as she drank a glass of milk.

Lux noticed her drinking milk and had a confused expression, "I've never seen you drink milk before."

Suddenly, Ramewl's face was filled with enthusiasm, "I heard milk can make you grow taller!"

 _"No, it won't."_ Would be Lux's answer but decided to keep his mouth shut as he doesn't want to ruin her beliefs, especially since he knows that Ramewl had always wanted to grow taller like Ifreeta and Shivar. Plus, her grandpa would strike him with lightning if he ever made her cry.

He merely replied, "I see."

Suddenly, something was tugging Lux's scarf, causing him and Ramewl to look behind to see who it is.

It is a small, fox-like creature with white fur; yellow, turquoise and midnight blue eyes with a light red dot in the corner of thick black lashes; a turquoise bib, a small light blue nose, small pink cheeks, and light blue tips on its large ears, small arms and feet, and tail. It wears a turquoise bow on either side of its head beneath its ears and its large tail is adorned with a gold crown and eight four-point stars, each one a different color of the rainbow (red, orange, green, turquoise, light blue, blue, purple, pink), "Hey, guys~! Come to the library! It's the-urgent!"

"What's wrong, Tama?" Lux asked worriedly.

"Just come and you'll the-see! Something bad is the-happening to the worlds!" Tama cried in panic.

Lux nodded and turned to the two opposite mirages, who are still fighting.

"Hey, you two! Time out!" Lux yelled but obviously, the two are too busy beating the crap out of each other that they didn't even hear him.

Lux took a step forward and told Ramewl and Tama, "Stand back, you two."

Ramewl and Tama nodded and retreated a few steps back.

Lux held out his left hand and something suddenly materialized to his hand. It was a large black armor glove with a large glowing red gem on the back of the hand.

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

After that, a huge explosion can be seen from the distance.

* * *

=Library=

Located in the area near the café, the library looks almost similar to a museum and has some statues that features creatures such as the Behemoth, Malboro, etc.

The inside was so big that it almost looks much larger than a castle ballroom. Everything is surrounded by shelves and books. The only thing that stood out was a large globe at the center of the hall. However, it wasn't a normal globe. It was a crystallized globe with the color of space and had numerous lights on different positions inside.

A moogle wearing academic clothing is staring in front of the globe in worry until he heard footsteps. He turned around and saw some familiar figures. His name is Mog, sometimes being called as "Dr. Mog."

"What the hell happened, kupo?" He said slowly after seeing them.

The figures were none other than Tama and Lux and Ramewl, with the latter two carrying the beat-up Shivar and Ifreeta, unconscious and apparently burned to crisp which makes it look like that it is something not even Ifreeta can handle.

"Punishment for misbehaving." He immediately replied with a blank face as he set down Shivar in the red couch, which Ramewl does the same for Ifreeta.

Mog's face became deadpanned, "Don't you usually just let them beat each other up?"

"Well, Tama told us it's urgent." Lux said as he sat down on the red couch.

Mog suddenly remembered why he called them for in the first place, "Oh yeah, that's right! The worlds, kupo!" He exclaimed as he pointed towards the globe.

"The worlds?" Lux gazed towards the globe and some of the lights that were positioned in there are slowly being covered by a dark aura, soon the lights were consumed and eventually faded into nothingness, "What the..."

"...When did this happen?" Lux asked in a serious tone.

"I'm not sure, kupo. They were already disappearing by the time I noticed it, kupo." Mog answered weakly.

"Okay, then." Lux suddenly stood up and casted the spell Raise on the two human-like mirages. A baby angel appeared, however, instead of healing them with light, the baby suddenly took out a bow and two arrows and shot them straight to the head.

"OW!" The two immediately woke up and screamed in pain while Ramewl and Tama stared at them, dumbfounded. All the wounds have been healed but not their sense of pain. Shivar and Ifreeta angrily turned to the caster, with the female Ifrit having slight tears in her eyes, "WHAT THE HELL, LUX!?"

Lux stared at his left hand in surprise for a moment, "I think there's something wrong with my Raise spell."

Mog stared at him incredulously, "Did you just call a cupid, kupo? Also, that was pretty damn random, kupo."

"If it WAS a cupid, wouldn't the two of them fall in love with each other?" Lux pointed at Shivar and Ifreeta, who are glaring at each other. Everyone was sure that they saw a spark for a moment there, "Anyway, let's go."

Everyone was confused by Lux's sudden decision.

"Huh? Where?" Shivar asked.

"We're going to check on the worlds and find out what's happening." Lux turned to Mog, pointing at the globe, "Hey, Mog. Can you check which worlds are getting affected right now?"

Mog nodded and took a closer inspection at the globe, he flew around it for a bit and then stopped for a moment, staring at something. A few seconds later, he flew back right in front of Lux, "Currently, there are three worlds. IV, VI and IX."

Lux nodded, "We need to go quickly or things might get worse."

Ramewl then suddenly raised her hand, gaining everyone's attention, "Can I go, too?"

Lux reluctantly shook his head, "Sorry, but-"

However, before he could even finish his sentence he noticed Ramewl doing her sad puppy dog eyes, causing everyone except Lux to sweatdropped.

...

Within seconds, Lux already gave up, "Okay, okay! You can go! Please don't do that or your grandpa will kill me."

"Yay!" Ramewl cheered while everyone else is laughing as Lux facepalmed.

"But actually, we can't go with your machine, we'll gain unwanted attention."

"Don't worry! I'll just use Grandpa's staff as a substitute!" Ramewl assured him as she summoned Ramuh's Judgment staff.

Lux nodded, "Okay, but be careful. All that absorbed electricity could devastate a huge area."

"Aye, sir!" Ramewl saluted and the staff disappears.

Lux raised his eyebrows, _"Was that a reference just now?"_

Shivar crossed his arms, "So, where should we go first?"

"I recommend World IV first." Mog suggested as he pointed at one of the lights in the globe, "The aura seems bigger than the other two."

"So Cecil's world is first, huh? Haven't seen him in a while. Zidane and Terra, too." Lux smiled.

Mog looked surprised, "They know you, kupo?", Lux replied with a nod.

"How did you guys met?" Shivar asked in curiosity.

"I'll tell you later, we have something to do first, right?"

Everyone nodded as they all started to go to the entrance. Lux was the first one to go up the stairs in front of the entrance until suddenly, he slipped and hit his head on the hard steps, causing blood to flow out of his head, which shocked everyone.

"LUX!" Everyone screamed and they rushed to his unconscious body as Mog immediately hurried to a medical shelf, going to row by row trying to find medicine.

"Where the hell is the Elixir, kupo!?"

* * *

=Sylver Park=

Everyone gathered around near the large lake, in front of a mystical-looking door with elegant patterns around it, as well as emitting bright light. Everyone was trying to get ready as Tama and the other mirage named Serafie were arguing. Lux was given an ice pack created by Shivar and the former placed it on his head and sobered the pain he inflicted upon himself.

Ramewl approached Lux with a questionable look on her face, "Hey, Lux? I know I'm not supposed to bring my machine but wouldn't our appearances be the same case?"

Lux patted her on the head with a smile and she seemed to love it like a cat, "Don't worry about it. Enna Kros placed some magic in that door. Your appearances will change so you can easily blend in."

Ramewl tilted her head, "What about you, Lux? Will your appearance change?"

He shook his head in reply, "Not really, because, unlike Grymoire, the places we're going to are filled with (seemingly) normal humans, not Lilikin."

"Oh~!"

"You still have much to learn."

Shivar then stepped in, "I'll ask again, Lux. How'd you met the people from those worlds? I'm really curious. I've read almost all of Mog's records about them but I'm pretty sure I've never read about them meeting you."

Lux then remembered, "Oh, right. Remember when they got summoned in World B by two gods? The old and the new?"

Shivar nodded and realized something, "Wait. Did you get summoned, too?"

Lux shook his head, "Nope. I stumbled upon that world and they all thought I was with one of the two gods until I cleared the misunderstanding. I befriended everyone from the good side, though I did befriend a few from the bad side. I went there twice, that time when Cosmos and Chaos were still there and now Materia and Spiritus are the new gods there."

"I see. But h-" Suddenly, Shivar stopped himself and let out a sigh and gave a little smile, "You screwed the records when Mog wasn't looking, didn't you?"

"What was that, kupo?" Mog turned to the two, having heard his name being said.

Lux and Shivar then immediately shook their heads while the former is sweating bullets.

"Where do you think we'll wind up in that world?" Ifreeta asked.

"Well, there's a high chance that we'll be in Baron. After all, that's where it all started there." Lux answered.

Lux then suddenly became silent for a minute, "...Let's just go."

The others three nodded to each other and followed suit.

Mog and Serafie stared at the gateway for a minute before looking around with confused expressions.

"...Hey, where's Tama?"

* * *

 **To those wondering who Shivar is, he's in Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings as a 2nd rank summon and Shiva's lover.**

 **The Mog here is the one from Record Keeper and I'm sure you get what Shivar meant by "Records"**

 **The crystallized globe that monitors the worlds is a reference from the space-like tree in Starlight Garden from the game Fantasy Life, which is the pathway of Starlight Garden and Reveria.**

 **The reason that it's IV, VI, IX is because those are the main games that I've personally played, including the After Years (not counting spin-off games).**


	2. Chapter 1: First World

**In the previous chapter, an unknown force has once again threaten the universe of the Realm of Fantasy and-**

 **However, the dialogue was suddenly interrupted by Lux's voice, which sounded a bit irritated.**

 **"What the hell? Isn't that the summary from the title page? Why are you reusing it in this chapter?"**

 **The voice of Shivar then stepped in, "Come on, Lux. You do know how hard it is to create difficult wording."**

 **Lux sighed, "Yeah, I know but... I get the feeling that the author is getting lazy."**

 **Okay, back to the story...**

* * *

The kingdom of Baron. It is the powerful monarchy and one of the largest nations in this world, ruled over from Baron Castle and the Town of Baron outside its walls. Baron is one of the only nations in the world with the technology to build airships, thanks to the research done by their master engineer, and has an elite squadron known as the "Red Wings", formerly commanded by none other than their current king, Cecil Harvey.

The town is filled with prosperity and joy ever since the ascension of the current king 17 years ago.

An event similar to the war from before transpired a year ago. The horrors of the past nearly coming back to haunt the inhabitants of this world until it was once again ended by the heroes along with some new allies-

"Enough already!" Lux's voice suddenly shouted from out of nowhere, "There's no point in this dialogue, anyway! The readers already knew that!"

But, I was just trying to summarize it just in case there are those who forgot!

"I don't give a damn. Can we please just continue the story?"

Oh, all right...

Right outside the wall located in the northeast of town. A gate brimming with bright aura and magical vibe, four figures suddenly emerged from and the first one looked around their surroundings as he peeked through the doorless gateway nearby, giving him full view of the town of Baron.

"Things have changed, huh?" Lux said as he smiled while watching over children happily playing with each other.

"Yeah. Looks like things already returned to normal after what happened last time." Shivar stated. His appearance had very little changes, his long elf-like ears becoming normal human ears. Other than that, there are no other changes in his appearance.

"Last time was more f*cked up than the first one. Well, I mean, they've learned about the true nature of this world's Crystals and stuff like that." Lux blurted out nonchalantly.

Shiva then turned to Lux with a deadpanned expression, "I agree but first, please mind your language."

"Also, compared to other worlds, this world is easy to navigate." Lux replied. He is the only one whose appearance did not change.

"Do you think Cecil will still recognize you?" Her horns are now replaced with human ears and her sword-like legs become normal legs with feet. She wears a pair of long black and brown boots, "I mean, he met you 17 years ago in this world, right?"

"Well, I've barely changed much when we last met so hopefully he still remembers me." Lux explained as he suddenly got deep into thought, _"Which I seriously doubt he wouldn't."_

Cecil wouldn't forget such a strange and literally otherworldy adventure and battle.

"What's wrong?" Ifreeta asked next. Her animal-like features are now gone, replaced with a human face and her hands and feet are now turned into that of a human's.

Lux shook his head, "Er..its's nothing. Come on, let's go."

Shivar and the females nodded, however, the male Shiva suddenly spoke up, "Okay, but first..."

Lux raised one of his eyebrows, "What is it?"

"Uh...Lux?" Ifreeta pointed at the top of his head.

"Huh?" Lux looked above and was startled to see a small familiar creature.

It was a colorful, fox-like Mirage that could be easily mistaken as a plushie.

"What the-?! Tama?" Lux immediately grabbed Tama from the top of his head.

Tama bowed her head down and talked in an apologetic tone, "Sorry. I just wanna the-come with you guys like I did with those two before."

Lux sighed, however, he did not hold any anger for her stowing away, in fact, he felt a bit sad because ever since her masters disappeared a year ago, Tama has barely left Nine Wood Hills because she had nothing to do.

After a few moments of silence, Lux has finally decided while letting go of Tama (which she can fly/levitate) and looking at her with a smile, "Well, I don't see any point in you not coming with us. In fact, I think you'd be a huge help. After all, you already came with us."

Tama's face brighten up and she happily hugged Lux.

Lux scratched his head for a minute, "Also, We know you don't like being cooped up in the prismarium for too long so why don't Ramewl hold you and you pretend that you're a stuff animal?"

Tama nodded, "It's just as the-better as being on top of someone's head!" She rushed to Ramewl and the latter held her like she's a stuff animal, as Lux said.

Ifreeta smiled at the two, "Aw, That's so cute."

Shivar then turned away, "Yeah, unlike you."

In two seconds flat, the two opposite have already begun exchanging blows to each other.

Lux gave them a deadpanned expression, "You two can beat each other up later. What's happening right now comes first."

The two then stopped after a minute and began glaring at each other.

Lux shooked his head as Ramewl and Tama laughed.

"AAAAHHHH!"

The sudden scream greatly startled Lux, who jumped a bit, and the others. They immediately ran around the corner near the inn and saw a young boy being attacked by a mechanical monster in a form of a huge spider.

"I think we found the cause..." Lux uttered as the other four saw the scene.

"A Cogna!?" Tama exclaimed.

"Come on!"

Lux immediately manifested his black armor glove and took out two gray crystal knives and, with great speed, flawlessly cutted down one of its legs while managing to dodged its lasers. While the foe is distracted by that first attack, Ramewl and Tama immediately dragged the boy away from the dangerous area, taking him near the river. Shivar then froze all of its legs with a powerful Blizzaga and immediately created a wall of ice as the Cogna shot a laser towards him, causing the ice to melt almost instantly. Unfortunately for the Cogna, Ifreeta had already snuck past behind it and she destroyed its outer mechanical shell by imbuing her physical attacks with her Firaga spell. Lux then took advantage of the opening and stabbed the Cogna's core with his knife, resulting in it exploding but not far enough to reach collateral damage, as the buildings were miraculously unharmed.

"They were a huge pain in the ass back in Grymoire a year ago." Ifreeta crossed her arms as she kicked a part of the destroyed Cogna.

Shivar took a closer look at their defeated opponent, "If they're here, then that must mean..."

Lux shook his head and sighed, "No wonder the worlds were disappearing so quickly."

"Hey, guys! Are you okay!?" Ramewl, while holding Tama, and the young boy ran towards them in worry.

All of them nodded.

"We're good." Ifreeta told her.

Lux then approached the boy and knelt down to his height, "Kid, you okay?"

The boy timidly nodded, "Yeah, thank you." Lux patted his head and gave him a smile, which he returned back.

Shivar took a closer look at the young child and had a mental flash of realization, "Lux, isn't this kid..."

"Huh?" Lux took closer inspection at the boy and noticed that he looked familiar.

"MID!"

All of them turned around and saw two people (a man and a woman) running towards them, more specifically towards the boy named Mid.

"Oh~!"

They're Cid Pollendina's family.

The woman immediately knelt down and grabbed the shoulders of her child and scolded him, "I told you to not wander off!"

"I'm sorry." Mid apologized with his head down.

The man and the woman then turned towards her child's saviors, "Thank you so much." She said while holding her child's hand.

Lux slightly waved both of his hands, "Oh, no. Don't mention it."

Ramewl turned to Lux and talked to him with a tone of curiosity, "Lux, isn't she Cid's daughter?" He replied with a nod.

The woman slightly tilted her head, "You know my father?"

"Ah, no, I mean, yes, we all technically do." Lux stuttered a bit when trying to come up with a reason, "Let's just say that you're dad's pretty famous because of his mechanical skills."

"I see." However, she was sure that he was not telling her the full truth.

"Excuse me." Shivar spoke up, gaining the couple's attention, "If you don't mind, can you tell us where did these Cog-I mean monsters come from?"

Cid's daughter shook her head sadly, "Unfortunately, no one in this entire town knows where did those mechanical monsters came from. I'm not sure how long but I think they came less than a week ago."

Lux crossed his arms, _"So they've been here for a few days."_

Her husband then spoke up as well, "I've heard that the castle has been attacked by those monsters."

"I sort of expected that." Lux blurted out and he gestured to his companions to let's go, which everyone nodded, then he turned to Cid's family, "You should stay indoors, it's not safe out here."

All of them nodded in agreement and suddenly, Lux stopped moving and he went towards Mid and took out something, "Here, take it."

"What is it?" Mid asked innocently.

It was a mysterious item in a form of a small orb with the color of purple and blue fused together, it is slightly bigger than that of a pearl.

"Make sure to hold onto this when you get in trouble with monsters again, okay?" Lux instructed.

Mid took the item, holding it tightly, "0kay, thanks!"

Lux gave him one last smile before they left.

"I wonder who they are." Cid's daughter wondered before turning to her husband, "What do you think?"

"Hm?" The husband responded as if he just noticed her, "I'm not sure. I was mostly focused on that kid's weird scarf and that woman's fire-colored hair, and there was something off about that stuff animal that little girl is carrying, because I'm pretty sure I saw it blink for a second."

"What about the other man?" She asked as they begun walking towards the stairs to their home.

"To be honest, I felt a bit cold when I got near him. It's as if he's letting out cold temperature." He answered as he wrapped his arms around himself, shivering a bit, "I can still feel it."

"Hm..." The woman put herself in deep thought for a minute.

Mid hasn't let go of the mysterious item Lux gave him, afraid that it might fall out of his pocket. He thought to himself that he will make sure to keep it safe.

* * *

The five then left the entrance of the town and are walking over towards the Baron Castle.

"Hey, Lux! Was that a Materia? Where'd you get one?" Ifreeta asked as she put her hands behind her head.

"Didn't you know? Mog's been making a lot of Materia lately to open a shop. A while ago, he's figured out how to combine two spells in one Materia." Lux replied.

"Really? How come I never notice it?"

"That's because you almost never go to the Library." Shivar answered.

Ifreeta couldn't manage to retort since he's right.

"So what's in that Materia?" Ramewl asked as she cuddled with Tama, who seemed to enjoy it.

"Protect and Reflect. A good combination if you ask me." Lux answered, "I think some of Mog's Materia might cause some problems."

"Why?" Shivar asked confusingly.

"Recently, Mog created a Materia that has both Meteor and Holy in it."

"..." Everyone became silent after what he said.

"That Materia can destroy a world, huh?" Shivar responded.

Lux nodded, "Pretty much."

"How does he even make them?" Ifreeta asked.

"Through Alchemy. Mog got a moderate sample of the Lifestream from a natural Mako spring in Mt. Nibel (VII), as well as some natural Materia. He's been testing what happens when combined with other substances from different worlds." Lux explained.

Ramewl raised her hand, "How does he test it?"

"He combines it with magic items, for example an Arctic Wind, to see if there are any changes. There are actually two results." Lux holds out his index finger, representing number one, "First, a single Materia now has two spells, it is shown to have two fused colors." Lux then opens his middle finger, representing number two, "Second, Combining them sometimes creates new spells. I don't know how the second one happens, though."

"Well, you the-seem to know a lot about it." Tama then spoke up after a long period of silence of having to pretend like a plushie.

"I help him sometimes." Lux responded before stopping, "Oh, we're already here."

"Ah~, crap."

All of them witness a large number of Cogna floating in almost every corner of the castle, with many soldiers (as well as some Black and White Mages) battling them.

"Heads up, guys." Lux instructed as he immediately manifests his weapons.

* * *

 **Lux's explanation about the Materia is actually my theory (I don't know if there are others who thought of this), explaining what if the Materia is combined with another material from another world.**

 **The name of Cid's daughter is never revealed in the game.**

 **Making magic through Alchemy is a reference in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates where the player character, Meeth Crym, uses a pot to create magic orbs or something.**


	3. Chapter 2: Second Battle of Baron

_One year ago, the attack on Baron starts with an assault on the Red Wings, including a ship commanded by Biggs and Wedge and with Prince Ceodore among its crew. Despite putting up tough resistance, the ship is overwhelmed and crashes, killing everyone except Ceodore._

 _Baron Castle comes under attack, and King Cecil Harvey rushes into action alongside his army. Initially surprised that monsters made it past the castle's walls, he learns they infiltrated the castle from the air. The Baron Army suffers immense casualties defending the castle, and in the end Cecil orders his wife Queen Rosa and his friend Cid Pollendina to evacuate without him. He witnesses the arrival of Bahamut and a "Mysterious Girl," who to his surprise knows his name. Cecil is attacked by Bahamut, a fight he is bound to lose; afterwards the Maenads take control of Cecil's mind, seeing him as potentially useful in their quest for capturing the Crystals._

 _That came to be known as the "First Battle of Baron"._

 **"Hey, did you just copy-paste that flashback summary?" Lux's voice asked in a questionable tone.**

 **Shut up! Anyway, I don't own World of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 4 nor the summary (credit to the FF Wikia). Please enjoy reading! :)**

 **"You should've disclaimed first before you do the whole thing, you know..." Lux sighed.**

* * *

Back in the present Baron Castle...

One of the smaller Cogna from above then dived below after seeing the five newcomers and took out its long-ranged weaponry (a bunch of guns and all that). Shivar immediately shielded themselves with his ice from the barrage of bullets.

After the attack is temporarily ceased for the ammo to reload, Ifreeta and Lux immediately charges in with the latter slicing off all of its guns and the former dealing the finishing move by punching it with Firaga-imbued attacks, causing it to be blown back to the castle wall with incredible force that it got destroyed to pieces.

"Now that's out of the way, let's go." Lux told everyone as they all nodded.

They ran past the castle walls into the inside, easily fighting off the Cogna since they're not as strong as the one they fought earlier in town, few soldiers have noticed their entry but are too busy fighting off the mechanical intruders.

* * *

=1F=

"KYAAH!"

A purple Cogna that has a form that seemed to be a fuse of a monster and a vehicle had nearly hit a lone White Mage with one of its wheels and crashed into the wall.

"S-stay away...!" The female White Mage trembled in fear as she pointed her staff towards it.

The Cogna was about to charge at it until it was suddenly smashed into the wall by the forcefully opened door.

"...H-huh?" The White Mage was still shaking but somehow she felt relieved but didn't let her guard down and still gripped her staff tightly.

"What the-? Did I hit something?" Lux and the others emerged from the entrance and saw what he hit when he opened the door.

"..." Everyone stared at the pitifully defeated Cogna, who had its head buried deep within the wall as it laid motionless.

"...Lux, did you kicked the door _that_ hard?" Shivar expressed some surprised with one of his eyebrows raised.

Lux shrugged in response before he noticed the White Mage in front of them, "Hey, there. You all right?"

The White Mage suddenly felt that the atmosphere has become less tense, "W-Who are you people..?"

"I'm a friend of King Cecil." Lux introduced himself without mentioning his name, "Speaking of Cecil, do you know where he is?"

The White Mage then sighed in relief, she thought to herself that it's obvious that the King would get help since he has a lot of allies, "I-I think he's in the throne room."

"What about Prince Ceodore, Queen Rosa, Kain Highwind and Cid?" Lux asks again.

The White Mage then took a minute to process his question before answering, "The Queen is with Master Cid to aid the soldiers near the East Tower while Lord Kain and Prince Ceodore are at the west.

Everyone then nodded to each other as Lux turned to the timid White Mage with a worried look on his face, "Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded in agreement, "Y-yes. I was just going to our lab since we brought inside some soldiers because the infirmary isn't really safe anymore."

Seeing that the place she was going to is almost next to them, Lux told the White Mage, "I see. Then go there quickly if you don't wanna get dissolved by their lasers."

"Eek!" The White Mage flinched by his way of words.

Both Shivar and Ifreeta smacked him at the back of his head, nearly causing him to fall down, while Ramewl laughs as Tama tries hard not to, "Lux!"

Lux then grinned like an idiot, "Sorry, sorry. Should have worded that out better." His expression then suddenly turned serious but didn't lose his smile, "Anyway, I'll go to the throne room, it's better if we split up. Shivar, you go help Ceodore and Kain, even if they're really skilled and can use White Magic, the number of opponents will become overwhelming." He then turned to the females, "You two go to Rosa and Cid, she's a strong supporter but her physical abilities are nowhere near as skilled as Cecil and Kain, and the old man, well... he's old, we need to help the elderly." Lux then started to mutter something out loud, "Jeez, that geezer is already over 71, he needs to retire. Doesn't he know that old people need their rest? *mumble**mumble*"

Shivar face-palmed at the last part but shrugged it off as he now goes to the direction of the west as instructed.

"Be careful, Lux!" Ramewl cried as she followed Ifreeta to the east, Lux noticed that Tama secretly waved at him, which he responded with a reassuring smile.

The White Mage was a bit shocked of how much he knew about them. She had seen every one of Cecil's allies and friends because of many visits throughout more than a decade but she is absolutely sure that she has never seen _him_ before. Not only that, she is also mesmerized by his weird yet beautiful rainbow-like scarf, she hasn't noticed it the first time due to her thoughts of them possibly being invaders. She thought to herself: _"W_ _hat is it made of?"_

"Hey." His sudden words snapped her out of her thoughts, "You should go already, are you injured or something?"

She politely waved her hands to reassure him, "Oh, no,no. I'm fine."

She then immediately went in front of the staircase of the entrance of the White Mage Lab, before going down she turned to Lux and bowed, "T-Thank you so much."

Lux nodded as she now went inside.

He then cracked his knuckles as well as his neck, "Okay, then..."

"...Gotta be ready for a boss fight."

* * *

=Near the West Tower=

"Ceodore, behind you!" Kain Highwind exclaimed as he stabbed a Searcher Cogna.

"Ah!" Ceodore Harvey managed to dodge at the last second before slicing the Cogna in half before running back to Kain.

"You good?" Kain asked as he tries to catch his breath.

"Just a few scratches." Ceodore replied as he casted Cura on his wounds, which immediately healed.

Kain nodded and he leapt to onto the wall to boost his second jump, as he dived he landed on one of the bigger foes and immediately buried his spear in it, resulting in the mechanical monster exploding just as Kain managed to jump off before getting injured.

Ceodore then casted Haste upon himself and attacked some of the enemies in front of him. He dodged one of its bullets before he tumbled beneath the monster to stab it from below. He finished off the ones near him by stabbing and slicing them just before the spell wore off.

"There's too many!" Ceodore panted as he fell to his knees began to lose grip on his sword.

"Damn." Kain cursed. Their opponents were not as strong as the monsters that attacked the castle years ago, however, there's seemingly no end to their numbers.

Suddenly, just after the Cogna charged at them all at once, the ones that are near were almost instantly encased in ice that continued to freeze nearly all of the Cogna in this area, which is nearly covered by ice.

"What in the world...?" Ceodore uttered in shock, which is the same case as Kain.

"Ugh... I used more than necessary."

The two men turned around to where the entrance of the 1F and saw a very unfamiliar person that they have never seen before.

"Are you two alright?" Shivar approached them and offered Ceodore a hand.

"Y-yeah, thanks." Ceodore took his hand to get up, however, he immediately let of it and his own hand stopped moving for a second, "Y-your hand is really cold as ice!"

Shivar then realized what he said and he immediately put his hands in his pockets, "S-sorry! That must've been from the spell I casted."

 _"Why didn't Enna Kros at least add some gloves in my appearance? I stopped the cold air that my body usually emits but body temperature is uncontrollable!...Oh, well. I'll just borrow some from Lux later."_

"Who are you?" Kain asked in a demanding tone since he looks like he's ready to point his spear at Shivar.

Shivar raised his hands reassuringly, "A friend of a friend of Cecil."

Kain nearly let his guard down, "...What?"

Ceodore felt the same way as he stared at Shivar in surprise, "My father?"

Shivar nodded as he laid his hands down, "Yep, but now's not the time to talk." He said as he pointed above them.

"There's more!?" Ceodore exclaimed.

Kain hasn't let go of his gaze at Shivar, still being very suspicious towards him.

Shivar then turned towards their numerous opponents, "Don't worry, Lux is helping Cecil right now."

Kain raised one of his eyebrows, _"Lux? Is that the name of Cecil's so-called friend?"_

Shivar gazed towards Kain for a slight moment, a small smile is formed on his face, "A lot has happened to Cecil during your absence. Something you've forgotten and no longer aware of."

Kain kept silent but a surprised expression is clearly shown on his face, _"What the hell does that even mean...?"_

Just as Kain is about to cast aside his thoughts, a burst of fire emerged from the area near the East Tower, which envelops nearly all the Cogna on that side, with most exploding and some have stopped moving as they fell as if they've shut down.

"What was that!?" Ceodore cried, expressing deep concern and worry, "Mother and Cid are there!"

"Don't worry." Shivar assured him as he casted Blizzaga on the Cogna in front of him, causing it to get stuck on the castle wall, "Those are my friends. Rosa and Cid could use some extra help since their fighting abilities aren't as skilled as you two and Cecil."

Kain raised his suspicions on him again, _"He said that as if he knows all about us. Just who the hell...?"_

Shivar seemed to know what he's thinking and answered before the dragoon pressed further, "You'll find out sooner or later."

Kain flinched and sighed as if defeated, "...Fine."

He walked in front of the newcomer as he readied his spear, "But first...at least tell us your name."

"Hm? It's Shivar." He answered without a care in the world.

Both Kain and Ceodore took this moment to glance at him for a second before turning back to their enemies.

They thought he said "Shiva" for a moment there.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Ramewl asked sweetly like an innocent child.

"Oh, I'm fine. Thank you." Rosa Joanna Farrell replied as she stood up. She gave a smile of gratitude towards the seemingly young girl as she held out her hands towards Cid Pollendina, who slumped to the floor due to exhaustion.

"Curaga!" She casted the powerful healing spell on him and his wounds are healing in great speed.

Cid then immediately stood up, "Whew! Thanks, Rosa!"

Rosa shook her head politely, "You were too reckless."

Cid sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he turned Ramewl, "Who are you anyway, lass?"

Ramewl innocently smiled, "I'm Ramewl!"

"I see." Cid smiled back before he pointed towards Ifreeta, who is fighting off the Cogna with great acrobatic ability.

"Oh! Her name's Ifreeta!" Ramewl told him as she watched her battle their enemies.

Ifreeta then jumped and dived on to the Cogna with great force since it got buried to the ground. She then kicked the ones that are close to where she landed and it's very similar to that of that upside down spinning move in break dance.

Rosa stared in awe as she watched at the woman with the fire-colored hair fight as if she's dancing.

Ifreeta then turned towards them with an irritated expression, "Hey, I could use some help here!" She gazed towards Cid as she punch a Searcher Cogna away, "What? Have you lost your backbone, you old geezer?" She taunted the bearded old man with a smug look.

That really set Cid off as he picked up his hammer, which he dropped during the battle earlier, "What did you just say, lass!? For your information, my bones're still kickin'!"

Ramewl laughed as Rosa giggled, no one has ever said that directly to his face except for the Luca, who is the Dwarf Princess of the Underworld as well as his apprentice, and Edge Geraldine, the ninja king of Eblan as well as a close friend and ally.

Before both Ifreeta and Cid could charge towards the Cogna, a huge Cogna came flying down and nearly crushed them, which is completely covered in ice.

"What in blazes?" Cid uttered in surprise as he was the closest one to get nearly crushed.

"Ice?" Rosa muttered before the two of them glanced at Ifreeta when she began to yell at something, or rather, someone.

"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE MAKING YOUR ICE, JACK FROST!" She yelled before getting a loud reply that had the same exact tone.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING JACK FROST!? AND DON'T COMPARE ME TO HIM!"

Ramewl laughs as she fist pumps her right hand, cheering, "Yeah! Go get 'em!"

Tama mentally sighed as she continued to act like a stuff animal, which became a little difficult. It's like trying to keep your tired eyes open in a staring contest.

Rosa had a face of bewilderment as she stared at Ramewl and Ifreeta (who is still arguing with the one on the west side while fighting). Cid has the same thought as her but casted it aside for later since there's a battle going on.

 _"Just who are they?"_

* * *

Back in the 1F.

Lux has now entered the hallway to the throne room but stood there for a minute.

"How should I make my entrance...?" Lux thought out loud before a few seconds later a light bulb appeared on top of his head.

"Now!" Lux then forcefully kicked the door open with his weapons ready. However, he suddenly felt something on the other side of the door as he kicked it open.

"AGH!" A man's scream of pain is suddenly heard right after the door is opened with great force.

"What!? Again!?" Lux exclaimed in surprise as he hit something again.

Once he went inside, he was nearly hit by a laser. Inside was a Cogna that seems to be comparable in size as the Omega Cogna. It had a similar body type as a Magitek Armor but with more weapons installed as well as huge mechanical crane arms. It seemed to have suffered moderate damage since it has some destroyed parts.

Seeing that the Cogna is the only one he could see within the throne room right now, Lux's face turns pale as he slowly pulled the door by its handle and he remained silent after seeing it.

It was none other than Cecil Harvey, who is drifting between the rift of consciousness and unconsciousness.

"...I really need to stop kicking doors open."

* * *

 **Jack Frost is the protagonist of the movie Rise of the Guardians, who can use ice magic and is a prankster.**


	4. Chapter 3: VS Alpha Weapon

"AAAHH! CRAP! I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT!" Lux screamed as he protected the seemingly unconscious Cecil Harvey by casting Reflect to deflect the lasers that were being shot at them.

"Cecil! Wake the hell up!" Lux yelled as he violently shook Cecil by his shoulders (since the Reflect won't last for long) and was about to slap or punch him awake with his armor glove until the man fluttered his eyes open.

He, at first, couldn't recognize Lux's face since his vision was blurry but was able to see the colorless scarf due to its bright highlights, "That scarf...Lux? Is that you?"

Lux's face brightened once he learned that Cecil recognized him, "Yes! It's me!"

Cecil then stood up with the help of his Excalibur as gazed at the Cogna, which is getting blasted by the lasers the Reflect had deflected.

"Do you know that monster?" Cecil asked as he readied his Excalibur.

Lux nodded as he took out his knives, "Yep. More than almost anyone! Oh yeah, sorry about what happened just now."

Cecil nodded with a smile on his face.

The Reflect then wore off as the Cogna began to shoot them with bullets instead of lasers. The two immediately split up in two opposite directions. Each of the two guns on its body are shooting at Lux and Cecil individually.

"Tsk." Lux clicked his tongue before he casted Thundara which gave it a lot of damage but not enough for it to be defeated as it can still move its body and crane arms. However, this gave Lux and Cecil enough time for them to charge at it while its functions are still processing.

Lux destroyed the guns by stabbing and slicing them off with his knives whie Cecil slashed one of its legs as well as burying his sword at the lower part but immediately pulled it off as it began to attack them.

They both hid behind a pillar since it began to fire powerful lasers.

"Those lasers're a pain in the ass." Lux uttered in an irritating tone.

Cecil nodded as he immediately pulled in his head after he peeked out, nearly getting headshot, "I agree. What should we do next?"

Lux put his hand on his chin as he tries to devise a plan, "Hmm..."

Cecil then had a face as if he remembered something, "Can't you use those monsters from before? You know...what were they called again...Mirages?"

Lux slammed his right fist onto his left palm, "Oh!"

"You haven't thought of that!?" Cecil exclaimed at the thought that Lux forgot to use his own ability.

Lux took out a small mechanical cube with bright blue linings which gives the indication of it functioning and turned to Cecil with a grin, "Be sure to gather up all your energy on this!"

...

The attack is temporarily ceased due to the two of them not appearing for too long. The pillar was crumbling and more than ready to fall apart. The Alpha Weapon is about to approach the crumbling pillar until suddeny, another creature came from behind it which gained the larger Cogna's attention.

It looked like the same exact Cogna that Lux (accidentally) defeated earlier, the only difference is that it is red and slightly larger in size. It drove around the room as the enemy continuously attacked it with multiple lasers at once, completely focused on killing its own kind.

 _"Now!"_

Both Lux and Cecil then emerged from the pillar and began to attack the Cogna right after it turned around in the opposite direction.

Lux proceeded to cast continuous spells of different elements (such as fire, blizzard, etc.), which inflicted moderate damage on the Cogna. Cecil proceeds to slice off the damaged parts (including the ones he inflicted earlier) to further slow down its movement as it began to take notice of their presence.

 _"It's not as strong as the Omega Weapon but it's still sturdy as hell!"_ Lux clenched his right fist after he put away one of his crystal knives.

"Cecil! Get back!" Lux yelled as he ran towards the Alpha Weapon.

Cecil nodded as he immediately backed away for more than a few meters, waiting for what Lux is about to do.

Lux's captured Cogna, the red Magna Roader, then turned into a small ball of light that's filled with tiny particles of light and flew back to Lux's eldbox. Lux slid underneath the Cogna and gathered up his energy on his one attack before muttering something.

 **"Channel Element: Thunder."**

A yellow aura with sparks of electricity emitted on the black armor glove as Lux punched through the Cogna with great force that it only took one hit for his fist to get completely inside.

The Cogna stopped moving for a moment until it began to crumble from the inside and Lux was sure that he could hear something sparking as he pulled his hand out, _"Damn!"_ Lux was about to run, however, before he could do, everything went bright white as the sound of the explosion could even be heard all the way to the town of Baron.

...

"...Huh?"

Lux blacked out for a few seconds and thought that he was buried under the rubble until he realized that he wasn't. In fact, what he saw in front of him was Cecil, who covered the two of them with his shield. He had a few burns but none of it was harmful and it could be healed instantly with just a simple Cure.

"Are you alright?" Cecil asked worriedly as he put down his heavy shield and offered his hand.

Lux nodded as he took Cecil's hand to help him stand up, "Pretty much, thanks to you."

They looked at the place where the Cogna once stood. It was completely burnt and the explosion left the ground impacted, looking very similar to when the meteorites crashed a year ago.

"Lux." Cecil looked at him with a serious face, "Did you came because of these monsters?"

"Cogna." Lux corrected him as he put away his last knife, "And yeah, I know about them than most."

Lux then approached the burnt spot where the Cogna exploded and picked a small damaged part of it before throwing it away, _"A Cogna that attracts other Cogna, huh? That's new."_ He thought to himself.

Lux faced Cecil, who had a hint of confusion on his face, "I'll tell you the details later. Now's not the time."

Cecil tilted his head, "Why?"

The sound of the doors being slammed opened instantly blasted through the room along with the running steps of numerous people.

"Cecil!"

"Lux!"

Ceodore Harvey, Kain Highwind, Rosa Joanna Farrell, Cid Pollendina, along with Lux's friends, Shivar, Ifreeta, Ramewl, including embraced Cecil and tears are clearly shown within her eyes, "Are you all right?"

"I'm all right, Rosa." Cecil assured her as she lets go of him before wiping off her tears, "What about you guys?"

"Ya don't need to worry about us, son!" Cid cheerfully exclaimed as he places his hands on his hips, "Cid here was there to smash them to pieces!"

Cecil, Rosa and Ceodore chuckled at Cid before the son spoke up, "Well, it's actually thanks to them." He said as he pointed towards the strange newcomers, which they see Shivar and Ifreeta physically and verbally fighting over something stupid as Lux tries to stop them while Ramewl watched while cheering.

Rosa stared at them, being a bit dumbfounded at what she's seeing, "Those two have been arguing non-stop since we met them." She told Cecil, who sweatdropped.

"Cecil." Kain then spoke up after being in silence for a while, "Is that boy a friend of yours?"

Cecil nodded, "That's right. I met him after I became Paladin."

Kain felt no dishonesty in Cecil's tone of voice, however, even if he did lie, he could easily tell because he's always been a bad liar, "I see."

"Hey, kid." Cid patted Lux's shoulder, gaining his attention, "Looks like ya help Cecil a lot today, just wanna say thanks."

Lux held up his hands, "Oh, don't mention it."

"Also..." Cid pointed at Lux's scarf, "That's a pretty peculiar scarf you got there. Where'd you get it from?"

"Oh, this?" Lux tugged his scarf as he adjusted it, "My parents made it."

 _"How in the world were they able to create something like that?"_ Cid, Rosa, Kain and Ceodore thought as they were a bit mesmerized by the near-blinding colors of his transparent scarf.

"Oh, I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet." Rosa said.

"There's no need." Kain shook his head as Rosa turned to him confusingly, "I think they already know us well."

Lux nodded while smiling as he pushed back Shivar and Ifreeta away from each other by their faces, "Yep. Cecil told us a lot about you guys."

Kain turned to Cecil, who seemed to read his mind, nodded in response.

"So, what do we do?" Rosa suddenly questioned everyone.

"We need to get some rest first." Cecil answered for her, "Tomorrow, we'll contact Damcyan, FabuL, Troia and Eblan to learn if they had any disturbances about those monsters. Also, we have to prioritize the casualties within the castle."

"Oh, there's no need to worry about that." Shivar suddenly spoke up. He was pushing his hands against Ifreeta's, "During the battle, we had Rosa and the other White Mages tend all of the soldiers since we made them retreat."

Cecil was a bit surprised to know that they thought ahead, "I see. That's good. Also, Lux, you're very welcome to rest in the castle if you'd like."

Lux thought about it for a moment before turning to Shivar, Ifreeta and Ramewl, who all shook their heads, "Just one room."

"Wait, just one?" Ceodore asked, "I mean, there're four of you."

Cid raised one of his eyebrows, "Are you four gonna sleep together in one room?" Cid's mouth suddenly developed a small smirk.

"Yes." Lux nodded, "And don't get the wrong idea. It's mostly because Ramewl is still scared to sleep alone at night."

"Hey!" Ramewl pouted before getting a stroke on the head and her anger quickly faded away, taking pleasure in having her head stroked.

Lux then immediately turned to the two complete opposites and grabbed them by their hair, yelling, "Shivar! Ifreeta! If you don't stop right now, I'll make you listen to Gloomy Sunday!"

"WHAT!? No, no, no, no, no!" Ifreeta shrieked.

"DON'T! Anything but that!" Shivar pleaded as he managed to get out of Lux's grasp.

Everyone stared at them, filled with confusion or bewilderment, as well as amazement at the same time, as they saw how carefree they are. Though, right now the same thought crossed their minds.

 _"Their names sound very similar to **them**."_

"But, father..." Ceodore began to ask, "What about Mist, Mysidia and the Underworld?"

"Hm..." Cecil pondered about it for a bit before facing Lux, who is scolding Shivar and Ifreeta, "Lux, is it alright if I leave this to you?"

Lux grinned, "Of course! Plus, we'd love to meet your friends in person!"

Lux then secretly looked at Shivar and Ifreeta, who are physically fighting right behind his back. He then grabbed them by the neck of their clothes and gave everyone a serene smile.

"Please give us a minute, if you don't mind." He told them calmly, but this only made everyone shudder once Lux began to drag the two of them to the hallway while they desperately try to get out from his grasp in a panic.

They notice Ramewl put down the stuff animal (Tama) and clapped her hands together while bowing, it's as if she's paying her respects to the dead. She then picked Tama back up and played with her tiny little arms to make it look like she's waving goodbye.

The doors were slammed shut right after Lux, Shivar and Ifreea went outside. Only the sound of screams that are in pain or fear can be heard as everyone sweatdropped.

"GYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Every person of the FFIV cast just stared at the door, dumbfounded.

* * *

 **Gloomy Sunday is a suicidal song for those who don't know.**

 **The Eldbox is a prismarium that's meant for capturing Cogna.**


	5. Chapter 4: Nightly Conversation

It was nighttime on the country of Baron. It was dim despite the numerous lights. The only things that can be heard tonight are the sounds of crickets and the fluttering wings of the birds passing by. There were few soldiers patrolling the castle area since many of them were injured during the Cogna attack earlier today.

Even during the night, many were still awake, especially the White Mages, who were busy tending the injured soldiers.

In the West Tower, Cecil Harvey walked down the stairs from his bedroom, which is on the highest floor. Rosa and Ceodore were already asleep and the former was insisted to rest by the other White Mages because she was already tired from the battle earlier.

Cid immediately went back to the town of Baron to check on his family ever since he heard from one of the guards that a huge Cogna attacked the town until its destroyed remains were discovered (which Cecil assumes was Lux's doing) and Cecil assumes that he's probably going to sleep there. And also, He doesn't know where Kain is right now.

He remembered that Lux was going to tell him the details of what's happening. Lux and his rather strange friends helped them carry the wounded soldiers earlier to the infirmary, however, right after that, they were nowhere to be seen.

His question is about to be answered.

Cecil gazed through the open window, and he was quite surprised to see Lux on the Observation Platform, alone. He was sitting on the wall concrete and is gazing at the stars.

Cecil proceeded to the other staircase in the 1f of the West Tower and exited to the Observation Platform.

Lux turned around and yawned, having a sleepy expression on his face.

"I've been waiting for 3 hours, dude."

Cecil shrugged, "Sorry, I fell asleep. Plus, you've never told me it would be here."

Lux gazed back at the stars, Cecil then approached him and rested his arms on the wall concrete as he stared at the stars with him.

Cecil began to speak up after a few minutes of silence, "So, Lux. How have you been?"

Cecil isn't quite sure how to start the conversation even though he already did.

"Pretty good." Was the reply from Lux, "Looks like you still remember me clearly."

Cecil smirked as he chuckled, "Well, I did forget about you and the others for a while before I was called back again for a second time and I must say, you've barely changed a bit."

"What about the height? I was almost short as Zidane back then."

"Zidane wasn't _that_ short." Cecil replied, "...And yes, the height is quite noticeable...wait, no. Actually, forget about the height, your whole appearance hasn't changed a single bit! It's been 17 years!"

"In this world." Lux corrected him, "In Zidane and Terra's world, I think it's only been about a year since they met me. Time flows differently in every world, you know."

"Then what about you?" Cecil asked, "How long has it been since you've met us?"

Lux thought about it for a minute before answering, "About 2 years. I'm about 17 now."

"You're a year younger than Ceodore, then." Cecil chuckled, "By the way, are your friends already asleep?"

"Uh-huh, they're right here." Lux simply answered.

"...Where?"

Lux took out four prismarium and placed it on top of the concrete, "Look inside."

Cecil took a closer inspection to the transparent cubes and was surprised to see Shivar, Ifreeta, Ramewl and Tama sleeping soundly and peacefully in their "rooms". However, what he was even more surprised about is their appearance right now is different, not only that, the "stuff animal" Ramewl was carrying earlier is moving and sleeping, hugging her own big fluffy tail.

"They're...not human?" Cecil asked while still staring at the cubes in interest, "Also, that stuff toy is alive!?"

"They're Mirages." Lux answered as he yawned, "They're technically the same as the Eidolons. And yeah, Tama's alive."

Cecil turned to him with a confused expression, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Mirages are actually powerful counterparts of monsters or other mythical creatures. Eidolons are no exception." Lux explained while he rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit sleepy, "For example, the name Shiva and Ifrit, those terms not only refer to a single individual but it is also the name of the tribe that has the same characteristics as Shiva and Ifrit.

"So, you're saying there are more Shiva and Ifrit?"

Lux nodded, "Yep. Also, Shivar is a male Shiva and Ifreeta is a female Ifrit."

Cecil gazed back at the prismarium containing the sleeping Shivar and Ifreeta, "I see. But, actually, I can still see the similarities between them and Ifrit and Shiva even in their disguises."

Lux sighed and scratched his head, _" **She** really needs to work on this kind of magic."_

"Ramewl is also the Mirage Ramuh's grandkid."

"What? really?"

"Keep your voice down, you might wake them up."

Their conversation lasted for a while with Lux telling more about Mirages to Cecil, who became clouded in interest. The last topic that they finally came unto was when Cecil began to question about the Cogna and Lux explained everything he knows about. He talked about how the Cogna destroyed countless worlds, the possible ones who sent them and why they were here in the first place. Lastly, he told him about the other worlds being invaded at the same time just like this one.

"Zidane and Terra's world?" Cecil asked worriedly

Lux nodded.

"So, you need to hurry and find out the cause of these events."

"Nah, we can take our time." Lux replied.

Cecil raised one of his eyebrows, "...Lux, you just contradicted what you just said earlier."

Lux shrugged, "Well, I already had someone to take care of the 'short-on-time' situation just before we left."

Cecil had absolutely no idea what or who he was talking about. But he decided to shrug it off since there are still many things he knows nothing about Lux.

"By the way..." Lux interrupted his thoughts, "You didn't tell anybody about that, right? You know, that you were summoned in another world."

Cecil shook his head, "Don't worry, I didn't tell. I feel like it was something that's better not mentioning for now."

Lux gave him a suspicious look, " **For 17 years**? You really didn't tell **ANYONE**?"

"..." Cecil gulped and then sighed, "...I-I guess I did tell Rosa some bits of it. But I'm really surprised that she believed me. I was expecting her to tell me that maybe it was some sort of dream or something. I did plan on telling Kain as well but he's, you know, for 17 years."

"Heh." Lux chuckled, "Why wouldn't she? Of course she would believe you. And I'm sure Kain would too."

Cecil stared at him for a moment after he said that and chuckled, "I guess."

Lux then yawned heavily as he started to wobble, "Hm, I gotta get some shut-eye."

Cecil nodded since he, too, is feeling sleepy, "I, as well."

Lux and Cecil went back to the West Tower and took different hallways, one to Cecil's room and the other to Lux's.

Lux rubbed his eye as his stepping shoes echoed around the hallway, only to stop so suddenly

...

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know." Lux said as gazed behind from his shoulder.

Kain then stepped in his line of sight from the corner. His holy armor becoming the source of light in the hallway. He also had a complex expression on his face, "How did you find out?"

Lux shrugged, "There's always this cliche of someone eavesdropping, you see."

Kain shook his head and sighed, "So, you're... from another world."

Lux smirked, "That's not really surprising for you now, is it? Considering how much you've been through."

Kain nodded and crossed his arms, "Actually, what I'm really wondering about is what you said to Cecil. He was summoned in another world? When did that happened?"

Lux kept silent for a moment. Well, since Kain lost in the battle in World B and the cycle of battle there still hasn't ended when he did, it's obvious that he would lose his memories of what transpired, including the friends he met from other worlds.

"...Didn't Shivar tell you from the last chapter?"

Kain raised one of his eyebrows in confusion, "What last chapter?"

Lux realized what he just said and was sweating bullets all of a sudden, "Ah, I mean. What he said earlier! _The auhor's gonna kill me for sure._ "

Kain crossed his arms, "There's something I've forgotten and no longer aware of, was it?"

Lux nodded, "Right. If you remember that, I tell you everything I didn't mention to Cecil."

"...Hmph." Kain, without looking at him in the eye, turned his back on him.

Kain then glared at him, almost as if he's ready to fight, "Remember this, I don't trust you one bit. I don't know where you came from, what you truly are, as well as your intentions."

Lux chuckled and gave an innocent smile that a child would have, "I already knew that from the start. You would do anything just to keep them safe, plus, I know you're still feeling guilty for betraying Cecil and the others, even though it wasn't your fault to begin with."

Kain swiftly turned around, his eyes widening both in confusion. Before he was about to say something, Lux beat him to it.

"I'll be honest, Cecil never actually told me anything about you guys." He then let out a slight chuckle upon seeing Kain's expression, "Cecil was as shocked as you are when he found out that I knew everything about him and his friends."

Lux then clapped his hands together, "So! It's getting late, I'm sleepy. And I have a favor to ask of you."

Kain frowned when he said that, "Not a peep of this to anyone, correct?"

"Yep! Though, I know everyone will find out eventually. We're already prepared for several shocked reactions."

Lux folded his arms on the back of his head and whistled the victory fanfare as he went back to his room.

The door was then closed shut while Kain heard the door being locked. He stood there for a few moments before going back to his own bedchamber.

It somewhat bothered him. A newcomer whom he doesn't trust yet is nothing new for him. However, if that boy had the darkness he would be able to sense it but didn't feel anything of the sort. He could tell that he doesn't have any malice intentions either. Deep within his mind...

...He could only sense the sincerity in his voice.

* * *

Next morning...

Cecil walked down the circular stairs of the West Tower while rubbing his eye, after all, he stayed up a bit late last night. Once he reached down at the end of the stairs he saw a guard with his sword ready as he looked around. The guard jolted a bit the moment he saw Cecil.

The guard immediately sheathed his sword and bowed to Cecil, "I-I deeply apologize, Lord Cecil!"

"What's wrong?" Cecil asked worriedly. He noticed that the guard looked unsettled and it was as if he has seen a ghost.

"J-just a minute before you came I've heard someone's voice and I don't know where it came from." The guard explained nervously.

"A voice?"

The two then heard a voice that had a tone which one could assume was screaming. It was rather faint and can only probably be heard by them at this distance.

"T-there it is again!" The guard stammered as he was about to ready his sword before being halted by Cecil.

"Don't worry about this." Cecil assured him as he was about to go to the path to the Observation Platform before turning to the guard one last time, "Though, I must ask of you to not tell this to anyone."

The guard looked confused by soon bowed, "Er...yes, Sir!"

 _"This voice sounds familiar."_ Cecil thought as he finally reached the location of the voice.

Which apparently came from four transparent cubes that are sitting on top of the concrete wall.

"What the hell!? Where are we!?" Ifreeta screamed confusingly as she pressed her hands onto the wall of the cube to see her surroundings.

"Don't move the cube, you idiot! You might fall!" Shivar yelled at her. It is clear that he was panicking as much as her.

Ramewl was still asleep and she curled up into a ball, completely unaware of her surroundings that would give her a headache.

"What are we the-doing here first thing in the morning?" Tama sighed.

Cecil face-palmed at seeing the four people trapped in cubes being left near the place they could fall in meters high with just a slight movement.

 _"He just left them here!?"_

Meanwhile in Lux's room, his body was turning left and right over and over. He adjusted his blanket and groaned upon being hit by the sunlight. He then let out a rather loud sneeze which snapped him awake.

"Huh. Did I caught a cold?"


End file.
